Who wasn’t obsessed with dinosaurs as a kid?
How many of us are still obsessed with dinosaurs?
As a kid, I was obsessed with a classic work of xenofiction called Watership Down. There’s a strong chance you’ve heard of it. If not, it goes something like this: The story is told from the point of view of English rabbits. They must go on a journey when humans come and demolish their warren. Along the way, they face challenges such as predators, disease, and the destructive presence of mankind.
It’s not a cute bunny story. After loving all manner of talking animal stories, Watership Down was a shock to my twelve-year-old system. It’s a story with plenty of self-sharpening teeth. It’s tragic, violent, and holds nothing back about the quiet horror of being a rabbit. Shocking, yes, but I loved it deeply. It regularly shows up in content mill articles about “movies that traumatized us as kids,” but my family trusted me to moderate my own media consumption. They trusted me to tap out if it was too much.
Did this movie rewire my brain forever? Maybe. There’s plenty of visceral rabbit violence. But it was good for me, too. It was a bridge to consuming more mature fiction while showing me that no type of story is confined to a certain age group. The emotional value can’t be understated, either. This somber depiction of death wasn’t frightening. It was soothing. Those characters accepted death with a quiet dignity. For reasons I’ll get into another time, I dearly needed that.
Okay, I’m done talking about Watership Down. Thank you for sticking with me. This, you see, is where Highcrest comes from.
The love of dinosaurs lives in my head, and I didn’t have an outlet for it. None of my friends are particularly interested in my dinosaur ramblings. I also needed a break from the other projects I’ve been working on for ages.
My husband suggested that I put that dinosaur fixation into writing. When I lamented a lack of ideas (Jurassic Park and “A Sound of Thunder” already exist), he said, “What about Land Before Time?”
If you’re still on dinosaur websites (or are an 80s/90s kid), you’re probably familiar with this dark fantasy film directed by Don Bluth. This was another staple of my childhood for many of the same reasons as Watership Down: animals, a dark tone, and lots of peril. Unlike Watership Down, this one is an actual kids’ film. It lacks the on-screen violence, but I dare you to watch it and not want to cling to your mother.
If you know, you know.
Of course, that already exists. I thought about it often, daydreaming about the classic dinosaur film while casually scrolling through scientific papers. My own ideas started to bubble to the surface. I had no interest in retelling the story of The Land Before Time or Watership Down but their aesthetic called to me. More than that, they reminded me of the power and validity of xenofiction.
Later, as I tried to find space on my bookshelf for Jon Krakauer’s tremendously powerful true crime novel Under the Banner of Heaven, I found my ancient copy of Watership Down. Holding it after so many years reminded me that animal stories weren’t limited to children.
My husband was right. Since I engaged with my interest in dinosaurs by reading scientific papers and watching documentaries, I hadn’t truly considered expressing it through fiction without a human lens. After pondering over some old favorites, I remembered with some embarrassment that these stories don’t need a human lens to be valid.
From The Land Before Time to Watership Down, I’ve always loved animal stories. There really should be more of them. Why not write one? Sorry Jurassic Park, but I don’t need you.
So…here we go. Highcrest is ready to go. Thanks for checking it out. I hope you enjoy your stay, however long that may be.
Rabbits rock, but dinosaurs are even better.